Assessing Substance Use

There are a number of assessments that one can use to assess the severity
of substance use. These assessments can be useful for diagnosing substance
use disorder and tracking clients' progress in counseling. Using
assessments requires knowledge of research terms, particularly internal
validity (are we measuring what we think we are measuring), external
validity (how well does this apply to the broader population), and
reliability (are results likely to stay consistent across time). While
reliability might seem like it is always a good thing, a counselor who is
measuring a clients treatment progress before each weekly session might
expect lower reliability, as the client's scores should decrease with
treatment. If you need a research refresh, check out the Research in Counseling Class.

Ethics & Assessments

Counselors use only those testing and assessment services for which
they have been trained and are competent. Counselors using
technology-assisted test interpretations are trained in the
construct being measured and the specific instrument being used prior to
using its technology-based application. Counselors take reasonable
measures to ensure the proper use of assessment techniques by persons
under their supervision.

Counselors are responsible for the appropriate application, scoring,
interpretation, and use of assessment instruments relevant to the needs
of the client, whether they score and interpret such assessments
themselves or use technology or other services.

NIDA EvidenceBased Substance Use Screening Tools

The National Institute of Drug Abuse (NIDA) maintains charts of
evidence based substance use assessments for adolescents and adults. Many
of the assessments are free to use. Click here to review the chart. Try taking a few of the different instruments.

DSM-5 Assessments

Spend some time checking out the DSM-5
Assessments webpage. Make sure that you review the Level 1 Cross
Cutting Symptom Measures as well as the Level 2 measures that are
specific to substance use.

Assessing Suicidal Ideation

Completing suicide is one of the leading causes of death in the United
States, yet awareness of and information about suicide are not widely
available. It is likely that every counselor will work with many clients
who are experiencing some degree of suicidal ideation (thoughts). As you
will see in the articles, misusing substances is a risk factor
for people with suicidal ideation.

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Counseling.Education. The materials on this site are in no way intended
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